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NHS4000 Developing a Healthcare Perspective

NHS-FPX4000_Assessment-4-1
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Analyzing a Current Health Care Problem or Issue

Capella University
NHS4000 Developing a Healthcare Perspective
Dr. Michelle Rose
October 22, 2023

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Analyzing a Current Health Care Problem or Issue

 

Medication errors are a major concern for patients, families, healthcare professionals, and hospitals. The common occurrence undermines providers’ commitment to offering optimal patient care across the continuum. Addressing medication errors is vital due to adverse implications such as severe complications and premature death for patients. The preventable nature of medication errors also reinforces the need for well-coordinated interventions that help enhance the quality and safety of patient care. This paper highlights the various causes of errors and evidence-based solutions necessary to protect patients and families from the negative implications of non-adherence to the rights of medication administration. An experience involving administration of the right drug to the wrong patient captures the need for increased vigilance when preparing and administering medications.

 

The Various Aspects of Medication Errors

 

Medication errors affect an organization’s credibility due to declining patient confidence and trust in the workforce’s ability to safeguard them against adverse drug reactions. Incorrect patient identification is a serious concern that could cause a fatal drug reactions and cause premature death (Moudgil et al., 2021). Increased frequency of patient misidentification raises questions about the safety culture, training, and other elements associated with safe and quality patient care. A visible cause of wrong patient identification is interruptions. The gap prevents nurses and physicians from following proper identification procedures and standards.

 

Miscommunication is another concern that trigger unclear and insufficient flow of information (Moudgil et al., 2021). Patients receive ineffective care since the care team relies on inaccurate details and duplicated records when delivering services. The errors and resulting adverse reactions undermine calls for complete adherence to autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice principles (Varkey et al., 2021). Firstly, patients have a right to access information when an error occurs. Beneficence and non-maleficence remind healthcare professionals to consider a patient’s best interests and safeguard them against emotional, physical, and mental distress. Medication errors from wrong patient identification cause severe complications and mortality risks that undermine the quality and safety of patient care. Organizations should ensure that nurses, physicians, pharmacists, and other parties have the knowledge, skills, and experiences in maintaining accurate patient identification.

Analysis

Patient misidentification is a topic that everyone should pay close attention to due to the high number of medication errors resulting from the issue. Frequent misidentification cases raise questions about robustness of administrative, technical, and human-related interventions adopted to reduce medication errors (Rezende et al., 2021). The most cases of misidentification happen at the registry, which is the outset of patient experience. The gaps include rushed recording of details, the absence of adequate and functional tools, and language barrier between the patient and care professionals. Duplicate and incomplete records also cause misidentification and expose patients to life-threatening complications (Mohmmed, & El-sol, 2017). The adverse outcomes jeopardize the organization’s reputation due to the high risk of patient dissatisfaction and frustrations. Misidentification errors cost facilities millions of dollars in lost revenues and lawsuits. Thus, timely and sustainable solutions are crucial to strengthen adherence to policies, procedures, and standards on safe medication administration. The risk of severe complications and mortality threats reinforces the need for increased awareness about the principles of beneficence and non-maleficence applicable across the care continuum. The ethical aspects remind healthcare professionals to proactively identify vulnerabilities, strengthen vigilance and intercept errors on time.

Options for Addressing Patient Misidentification

 

Patient misidentification highlights the need for proactive efforts towards enhancing quality and safety of patient care. One strategy is training and educating the workforce on using unique identifiers to select the correct patient during registration (Yusuff et al., 2021). The identifiers capture details such as the patient’s names, data of birth, address, and medical identification details. The fact that misidentification happens mostly during registration reinforces the need for the care team to be aware of the likelihood of human errors. A second option is using patient ID wristbands with barcodes to reduce the risk of mishaps. Highly functional wristbands enable nurses and physicians to connect and process a patient’s records easily. A standardized protocol is also crucial for accurate patient identification (Roumeliotis et al., 2019).

 

The process makes the care team aware of patient identification errors and the need to adhere to procedures such as documentation necessary to eliminate risks. The multifaceted approaches for eliminating patient misidentification remind healthcare professionals to enhance individual and collective commitment to monitoring and improving situations. Failure to consider the options has adverse implications on patients, families, healthcare professionals, and the organization (Mohmmed & El-sol, 2017). One consequence of ignoring the issue is continued non-adherence to standard protocols such that nurses and physicians continue overlooking vulnerabilities associated with increased medication errors. The organization will experience declining revenues and brand reputation due to failure to adhere to beneficence and non-maleficence principles.

 

Recommended Solution

 

Technological advances make it easier for facilities to reduce medication errors. In this sense, one solution for patient misidentification is using a patient ID wristband with barcode. The wristband has crucial detail such as the patient’s name, medical conditions, allergies, and the correct medication and dosage ordered. Effective use of the technology allows nurses and physicians to keep track of a patient’s condition (Rishoej et al., 2017). The convenient and efficient process ensure that the right patient information is available at the different points of care. Similarly, ID wristbands and barcodes enhance compliance with the Joint Commission guidelines, which advocate for the use of identifiers when administering medications. With wristbands and barcoding, nurses and physicians can confirm a patient’s identification with ease and reliability (Mohmmed & El-sol, 2017). Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) is among the facilities that benefitted largely by adopting wristbands and barcodes. The organization focused on reducing medication transcription and administration errors through innovative solutions. The decision led to improved productivity, reduced risk of workarounds, and reduced medical errors across the continuum.

 

Ethical Aspects

 

Safe medication administration is a priority in healthcare practice. Notably, accurate patient identification contributes to effective transcription and medication administration. The processes align with calls for consistent adherence to the duty of care where healthcare professionals embrace beneficence and non-maleficence principles (Sorrell, 2017). The goal is to ensure that services match a patient’s best interests and protects them from physical, emotional, and psychological harm (Varkey, 2021). Inaccurate patient identification causes nurses to administer the right medication to the wrong patient. Such events trigger adverse drug reactions, morbidity and mortality threats that jeopardize the quality and safety of patient care. Wristbands and barcoding reinforce commitment to ethical practice by reminding the care team about their obligations toward avoiding intentional and unintentional harm across the care continuum (Mohmmed & El-sol, 2017). The solution also portrays commitment to providing just services that acknowledge patient’s right to evidence-based and patient-centered care. Wristbands and barcoding reflect an organization’s willingness to acknowledge and address lapses associated with financial, mental, physical, and emotional distress.
Implementation

 

The implementation process aligns with calls for a lasting image in sustaining accurate patient identification. A key consideration is selecting the right wristbands and barcodes. The goal is to ensure that nurses can load information easily and to reduce frequency of maintenance. Further, the wristbands and barcodes should be ideal for networked use in the patient admission area, bedside, and other crucial points of care (Rishoej et al., 2017). The ease of use while scanning helps eliminate workarounds. Similarly, the implementation process entails focusing on reading accuracy and data capacity. The considerations allow healthcare professionals to scan more patients and maintain the optimal scanning conditions. The objective is to give nurses and physicians the opportunity to adhere to the rights of medications and enhance patient outcomes across the continuum.

Conclusion

 

Accurate patient identification is among the cornerstones of patient safety. The critical step allows nurses and physicians to respond to calls for safe and quality services provision in a complex clinical environment. Specifically, the care team consistently verifies the rights of medication by matching the right medication with the correct patient. The use of wristbands and barcodes is among the viable and sustainable practices for improving the accuracy of patient identification across the continuum. The tools remind healthcare providers about responding on time to technological advancements that enhance the quality and safety of patient care.

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